


With Nothing In Between

by That_Familiar_Feeling



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bathing/Washing, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, M/M, SHEITH - Freeform, fancy alien bathroom, season 7 and up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-29
Updated: 2018-10-29
Packaged: 2019-08-09 14:09:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16451429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/That_Familiar_Feeling/pseuds/That_Familiar_Feeling
Summary: … around the body half sunk into it beautifully. Dark hair blossomed out like petals in tea, set to bloom. Pale skin was flushed with heat and comfort as water ever so gently lapped against it with each inhale and exhale.A super indulgent sheith fic, and a super fancy alien bathtub.





	With Nothing In Between

Night came slow on a planet with twin suns. But when it came it was long and sluggish with three distant moons twining above the atmosphere.  
It was a long night, at the end of a long day, after a long series of weeks and months.

The planet was beginning to doze and the fog that always came off the always-slightly-damp soil was thick and diffusing with many different lights. To Shiro, it looked similar to smoke in a bar or on the sidewalk. Swirling and twisting away as he began the climb up into the Ambassador Quarters wing of the large diplomacy wing.

The planet was playing host to a large number of guests of both political and functional quality. Each species vying for the fertile soil and heady indigenous plant life that soothed away almost all wounds and aches. There were minerals in the soil, and often claimed the denizens in their blood as well, that made life strong and vibrant.

All in all, it meant that no one would be satisfied with anything less than a “perfect” arrangement.

By the end of the day, there was an ache settled into his lower back and it was threatening to grow up to his forehead. The port of his arm felt like lead, despite its light weight material and he was damn tired of keeping track of his own arm for the day, thank you very much.

What Shiro _wanted_ , was to peel off the official Atlas Captain’s armor uniform- too new, so it sat stiff on his shoulders and the fabric was far too thick for the planet’s overheated index.  
The uniform was like a flight suit turned earth-style fatigues, and it was like being inside of a well-tailored glove that he despised.  
The suffocating feeling had been crawling up his spine with his pain all day… so if he had some extra pep in his step tracing the halls back to his quarters, no one was allowed to blame him, and should they try he was right on the verge of pulling rank and sequestering himself away for days.

That was a rather hefty perk of being a Captain now, a room with the best view.

His quarters were large and a tad sparse for his tastes, but they got the job done and he’d grown used to them in the past few days. One large window at the head of the room, with a spacious layout that completed a homey suite.

All neat colors and lines. He had what served as a command desk and office on a step-up at the window, with bookshelves bracketing the walls on either side filled with information on the planet, logs on the ambassadors, and various inter-universal necessities.

Once on the main floor, his overly large and perfectly firm bed was a mess of crumpled sheets and covers, the poor aftermath of a late start to the morning. The bed and surrounding area had the most life so far- with neat embellishments on the bedside tables and decorative trinkets on the shelves, all things meant to advertise the planets diverse geological aspects.

Then, in the middle, was a small entertaining section; with a large holo-screen facing the main door and a deeply comfortable couch in front of it. The table between the two was littered with files and photos and the stray mug that he’d left either that past night or this past morning. It was hard to tell on a planet that sometimes looked dusky during the day.

On the other side of the room, opposite to the bed, was a small kitchenette and dining area. For all intents and purposes, it looked like any other kitchen- with cabinets and a “microwave” above a “stove” and a small medium sized “fridge and freezer” combo that he wished he had back on the _Atlas_...

Tonight, there was something steaming away on a small warmer on the counter. It looked like a stirfry and he sagged at the idea of stuffing his face and passing out for the evening like any other dignified ambassador would. He undid clasps and straps and dropped the heavy jacket off on the couches arm before shuffling into the kitchen and snagging the plate and utensil with wild abandon.  
With a single minded enthusiasm, he scarfed down the meal and half a bottle of water. It was his first meal in probably seventeen hours, his last technical meal had been an energy mre bar of some kind, so he could forgive himself for lack of awareness in the face of such delightful bounties.

Awareness which struck him, fork halfway to his mouth, as he stared absently at the small hallway that came off of the main quarters.

The light at the end of the hall always looked more tonguestun than it really was, Shiro had suspected that it was deliberate- and it did end up giving him some comfort in the form of fond childhood memories of dingy bathroom lights. There were many nights he’d slept with the light on, a little thing to ease his troubled psyche while he got used to a lonesome room and its too big space.

But now, it struck him as entirely out of place.

It was pitch black outside, and even the faint stars that shone through the window were barely making it. Even the dancing moons were hidden from sight.  
So the light was bouncing off the floor and walls in a dreamy wave. And come to think of it, there shouldn’t have been _any_ lights on in his quarters this late, he’d switched off both bathroom and kitchen overlights when he’d left that morning…

He set his half eaten meal on the counter and wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand. He could count on his one hand how many people had access to his quarters, but only one would so blatantly make himself at home and cook him food.

  
As he rounded the corner to the hall, he saw the bathroom door was in fact open. It was a simple sliding door with a thin and delicate looking face and it clearly showed the gentler “dim-light” settings were in use. Nothing if not accommodating this planet.

With a fond smile he started down the hall - only pausing halfway to detach his arm from his person and store it in its compartment. A little alcove in the wall that accessed the arms state and did maintenance while he slept, a clever little application he had already asked to be incorporated into the _Atlas_.

There was a soft smell coming from the bathroom, wafting on steam. It smelt like roses and herbal salts, the kind that his sore back yearned for so desperately. He could feel the steam brushing past him as he poked his head into the room.

The bathroom ,or bathing suite as the attending alien had called it, was by far the most luxurious piece of the ambassador suites.

The floor was heated by the geothermal vats beneath the complex. And everything had a heady sweat to it that smelled of thick minerals and metallic complexes he couldn’t be bothered to remember right now. The entire room looked as though it had been carved straight into a cave with its dark stone walls and floor. The lighting was created with intuitive bioluminescent stones and reacted to the occupants touch and readout.

There looked to be a shower like stall in the corner, and some kind of toilet set up in an alcove set up to the side- but obvious the true glory of the room was the large tub of geothermal water that constantly steamed and bubbled up from below. Supposedly, the entire room radiated with healing energies and the steam itself was filled with the benefits of the planet.

The tub was huge and entirely made of smooth stone that never cooled. Taking up the majority of the floor space it was deep and wide and _perfect_ for soaking in. And that is what truly beckoned to Shiro’s battered body.

That and the current occupant.

The rim of the bath had been lined in candles with soft creamy wax, and the occasionally wafting smoke of some kind of incense that danced with the steam lovingly.  
Just watching the lazy spirals and dips of the smoke and steam made Shiro’s body sink further into itself and his head lolled in a content fuzz. He was tempted to lean against the wall and just watch for a moment.

The water was exquisitely hot, and it drifted around the body half sunk into it beautifully. Dark hair blossomed out like petals in tea set to bloom, pale skin was flushed with heat and comfort as water ever so gently lapped against it with each inhale and exhale. One lean arm was resting against the rim of the bath by the elbow and long fingers absently smoothed across the stone surface.

Shiro watched his partner soak, eyes closed and face totally blissed out. He had half dried strands of hair stuck to his cheek and his shoulders were completely covered in bubbles and what looked a lot like glitter. It was hard to tell apart from the hearty heat flush that rose from his chest to his ears.

With little preamble, Shiro began to working off the rest of his clothing. He cleared his throat briefly to announce his arrival before neatly depositing the crumpled clothes into a readied basket.

He heard the water slosh for a heartbeat, then it settled and he heard a soft sigh.

Approaching the tub, he realized that yes, it was glitter flecking those soft cheeks and strong shoulders, or at least it was delicate flakes of metallic minerals that looked like glitter. Briefly, Shiro wondered if the stuff ever came off the stone surface or if it was just absorbed…

But all thoughts drifted away once he adjusted to the beautiful sight of his lover completely and utterly at peace.

The water was gold, or painted such, and it swirled around with bubbles and little petals- a delightful scent wafting up and making his whole body melt as he sat on the warm stone rim. Nothing was cool, and he felt his muscles unwind just sitting above the water like he was.

More sloshing, the gentle drip of droplets, and a hand was reaching up to gently touch his chin.  
“Hey there…” shouldn’t have liquefied his core as it did, but the voice carrying it was deep in the haze of a well-earned soak and the rooty herbal salts that made the whole room shimmer.

“Hey there yourself..” he replied on a single breath, leaning into the touch with a rumbling sound.  
Shiro leant down until he was almost chest to water, and got a sweet kiss for his efforts.  
Soft, like someone had decided to try out that lip scrub Lance had thrown at everyone last month… perfectly fit to his own lips and coaxing him down like a naiad in a lake.

Keith kissed like warm honey. At least when he was relaxed and sleepy he did. More often it had bite, even when he hadn’t meant it too. Shiro adored it, that spark of passion that lingered in every atom of his partner. But right now it was like drinking in ichor and he was quickly becoming drunk on it.

When they parted, a wet hand pet through his hair and touched his cheeks oh-so-softly before tapping at his chest and backing away. Without another word, Shiro was crawling into the tub and settling down with his back to Keith’s chest the water stinging pleasantly against his skin.  
It still amazed him, how easily he could fit himself into Keith’s space. Back and chest molded together like marble, his hips fitting between Keith’s and his larger legs and thighs bracketed beautifully by Keith’s more toned pair. It was just so easy to melt into the embrace and let the various scents and sensations overcome him.

He felt Keith’s chest vibrate as he began to hum a song that came tumbling out in low and wavering notes. He sunk into the water until it was up to his collar and let his eyes slide shut like molasses. He so rarely got to let his guard down anymore, but here he was completely and utterly safe and there was no one he trusted more to keep him above water.

Keith hummed and used a delicately scented soap to scrub at his shoulders and chest, then gently cupped water and poured it across the suds. “You did some good work today, not a single complaint from the ground teams…” Shiro almost burbled he was sinking so low into the water, but the praise made his already flushed skin brighten.

“And the ambassadors seem pleased, I’m amazed you managed to get them to agree to that dumb contract…” now, long dexterous fingers worked an oil and suds mix into his hair and Shiro half whined because it felt like food goo. Keith laughed and the water started frantically rippling.

“Hush, you’re so gross right now. You better believe I’m doing you a favor right now..” he felt those oh so soft lips kiss his shoulder before Keith was gently pushing him forward and scooting around the tub. Water sloshed over the side but magically the level seemed to stay even.

Keith guided Shiro into floating languidly while the paladin worked the mixture into his hair and scalp thoroughly. He moved his hands to the tune he was humming and Shiro closed his eyes to bask in the glow.

Between the warmth of the water and air, the gentle buoyancy of the water rocking him side to side, and Keith’s constant humming and massaging- Shiro drifted deeper and deeper into his head.

“There ya go…” soft words did a lazy circuit around his ears and brain. “I got you now Captain...you just wander off and I’ll take care of the rest. You deserve some rest.”  
Before he could even decipher the muddled words, Shiro was completely and utterly gone.

 


End file.
